by KT Webb
“No.”
“Excuse me? Don’t forget who you’re dealing with here. I am not just some helpless princess. If I remember correctly, I’m the one who distracted the Gorum so you could get in Godfrey Tower.”
He whirled around, “Oh, that plan went well, didn’t it? I got into the tower and you got thrown through a portal. Look around you! This all happened because we were reckless. If we’d have been careful and stuck to the plan, Riona wouldn’t be hanging by a thread.”
“So, you’re blaming me for all of this?” I hissed as I gestured at the black forest.
“Well, not entirely, but…no...yes, I am.”
I recoiled like his words had delivered a physical assault. Part of me knew he was right. It was my fault. I’d been desperate to prove I could take care of myself, I could lead Riona. I hadn’t stopped to think of the consequences that could befall my world as a result. The other part of me was angry; if he’d done what was asked of him and kept me safe, we wouldn’t be facing yet another war. I was tired of fighting, I just wanted to be home.
“Her plan is solid, Commander. I will escort the ladies to the castle. You and the others will have surprise on your side again. There’s no reason to put these two in the middle of a potentially bloody fight,” Lonzo insisted.
Taeren glared at his friend but ultimately agreed. We were both angry at each other, but that didn’t keep him from grabbing my arm before I left.
“Be careful, Delia. We have a lot to talk about and I’d like to have more time to yell at each other.”
I tried not to grin, but failed miserably. “Deal. Don’t get yourself killed, okay?”
He released me and offered a small bow. “Until we meet again, Queen Delia of Riona.”
The words felt wrong to me as I watched his retreating form. I was going to be the queen. I had to be. If I didn’t accept the throne and become the latest in a long line of queens, Riona wouldn’t recover. The longer I walked the same forest trails I’d taken on that ill-fated day, the more my memories resurfaced. They were broken and fuzzy, but they were there nonetheless. Even then I knew I wasn’t queen material. I’d been gone for almost six years—from thirteen to nineteen—and I wasn’t ready to take the throne.
Lonzo interrupted my thoughts. “We should get going, your highness.”
I’d been staring at the path Taeren had taken through the trees. He was gone, but the yawning space he’d left behind was evidence of his departure. Paula looped her arm through mine. I’d nearly forgotten about her presence. She must be looking at the world I loved so much wondering what it was I’d seen in it.
“Are you alright, honey?”
I leaned my head on her shoulder. “I’m just getting all these memories and feelings. Everything is rushing back and it’s hard to sort through.”
She kissed the top of my head as she had many times. Lonzo walked ahead of us. I could tell he was on high alert. We had no idea who or what may be lurking nearby. It was impossible to be sure, but I thought we must have been on the same path Taeren and I followed right after my parents were murdered. It was as though the entire world now lived in shadow; a dark imitation of the beauty it once held.
“You know, if it were daytime, the sky would be a brilliant pink with orange and yellow streaks. It would be peppered with stars,” I whispered to Paula.
“And if it were night?”
“A deep purple blanket would cover the stars, but the plants and trees would glow until the stars peeked through again.”
Paula sighed. “I’m sorry we didn’t believe you. It may not be the way you remember it, but this is definitely not Earth. We put you through so much, so many unnecessary treatments.”
“How could you have known? This is nothing like the world you know. Why would you suddenly believe in something you never dreamed could exist? I don’t blame you, or Doctor Larkin. I swear.”
“That means a lot, but I still blame me—a little. I should have known there was something to your stories. You clung so tightly to your past, I should have known it was real.”
“Stop blaming yourself, Paula. It won’t do anyone any good. We’re here now. I can’t imagine sharing this with anyone else. I’m glad you came with me.”
“Where else would I go? I hate to tell you this, kid, but you’re stuck with me now.”
Before I knew it, we were standing in the very spot my parents had met their end. I probably wouldn’t have known had it not been for the knee-height onyx stones that stood on the edge of the path. A single tree was growing behind them and the scattered remains of Selenite roses littered the ground. The memory of my grandmother’s life ceremony resurfaced as I stared at the monuments erected for my parents.
I stopped short, causing Paula to jerk back. Lonzo noticed the look on my face and came to stand next to us. I may have watched them die, but I hadn’t been prepared to stand in front of their graves.
“Are they here?”
Lonzo cleared his throat. “We put them here because the castle was occupied. It didn’t feel right, I know they deserved so much more. The belonged in the garden with the others. Andromeda and the other surviving alchemists did this for them.”
“Your parents are buried on a path in the forest?” Paula asked.
I hadn’t experienced any loss on Earth, so I didn’t know what their customs were. I’d see the stones they’d erected for their dead but hadn’t thought anything of what they did with their bodies. With my memories of Riona gone, I had no way to reconcile what we did with the traditions of Earth.
“They’re not buried. These are my parents.”
Paula’s confusion was clear. “I don’t understand. On Earth, we bury the bodies of our dead and erect a stone to memorialize them.”
“In Riona, we use alchemy to transform them, to give them new life,” Lonzo explained. “We prefer to let them live on as trees—they can provide life to the living. In cases like this, there wasn’t enough left of King Theophilius to cross over as a tree.”
I swallowed against the lump forming in my throat. “He loved Selenite roses.”
A firm hand clasped my shoulder. “That was Taeren’s suggestion.”
Of course it had been. Taeren knew my parents well because he knew me. We’d shared secrets with each other from childhood. He would have remembered what I said about the roses. They were everywhere in the castle. I knew it wasn’t a good idea, but I felt drawn to do it. I walked up to the tree and placed my palm against it. The other hand closed around the amulet. I felt the tree come back to life. More than that, I felt my mother. I heard the sharp intake of breath behind me as she burst into life once more. I would never have my mother again, but I would always have this moment. Next, I put my focus on the roses. I gently touched the petals, willing them to find their way back to the stem. They slowly knit back together until a smattering of Selenite roses surrounded the tree and onyx stones. It wasn’t the same, but it almost felt like they were there with me. I thought of the last day I saw them alive, of our last moment together. My head turned toward the path that would lead to the clearing we needed to cross. It was time to save Riona and free my world from years of oppression.
“Let’s get going.” I walked forward purposefully.
By the time we reached the clearing, I was beginning to feel exhaustion tugging at the corners of my mind. Paula didn’t look much better than I felt. Lonzo was stoic as ever, making a calm sweep of the land around us; he was prepared for an attack. He still carried the heavy sledgehammer from Earth. I was certain he’d have felt more comfortable wielding a sword, but his weapons were undoubtedly left behind with the Outliers when the Knights went after me.
“Well, we don’t need to wait for the cover of night,” Lonzo muttered. “I’d feel more comfortable if we knew where to look for the enemy.”
“I’d feel better if we knew who the enemy was. Taeren didn’t give us much to go off. His vision wasn’t exactly clear,” I whispered in return.
“Is that big dark
shape your castle?” Paula asked staring at the looming shadow across the field.
I nodded. It was impossible to tell if it had changed in the darkness. “It used to be.”
“It will be again, princess. When our men see that you’ve returned, they won’t think twice about turning their backs on Lady Carmella,” Lonzo assured me.
I wanted to believe him. I’d been gone for so long, the people of Riona probably weren’t interested in my arrival. I was only a child when my parents died, they probably hadn’t given me a second thought since. I knew so little about what happened after I disappeared that there was no way for me to know for sure if I would be received with open arms or hostile advances. Lonzo had faith in our people; I had to borrow some of his faith until my own could be restored. There was no point in prolonging the inevitable, so I stepped out into the clearing followed closely by my friends.
We made it about halfway across when the first arrow plunked onto the ground next to me. Lonzo put his arms around us and began to guide us towards the castle. The arrows continued to slice through the air around us. My stomach turned at the sound of flesh meeting the sharp point of an arrowhead. I knew I hadn’t been hit, but I couldn’t tell which of my companions had been wounded. Another arrow found its target, this time I heard Paula cry out and Lonzo fell behind. I was out in the open like an animal caught unaware during a hunt. Shouts sounded from above, and my eyes met Lonzo’s. I rushed back to where he tried to lift Paula from the ground.
“Where was she hit? How bad is it?” I demanded on the verge of a complete breakdown.
“She’ll live. We need to get away from here. The closer we get to the castle, the less likely they are to hit us.”
“And what if there are guards at the foot of the castle?”
Lonzo peered into the darkness, “They didn’t see us coming until the first arrow flew. If we hurry, they won’t have time to deploy their guards.”
A volley of arrows rained down on us, somehow failing to inflict any serious damage. I was covered in small cuts and knew Lonzo would be much the same. He knelt and hoisted Paula into his arms. An arrow had pierced her side. It still bobbed in a sickening fashion as he repositioned his arms beneath her.
“Aren’t you going to remove that?”
“Not here. We don’t have time. You need to get to the cave opening. I’m right behind you.”
My skepticism wasn’t going to be the reason we died. I pushed myself away from them and forced my legs to work harder than they had in years. I ran in zig-zag patterns and circled around more than once. I wanted to confuse them, to bring their focus to me rather than my wounded mother-figure. It took me less time than I’d imagined to reach the opening. I hoped against hope that no one would be waiting within. I rushed inside, prepared to fight or be captured.
Lonzo appeared moments later, but he didn’t enter the tunnel. He looked confounded. He still held Paula in his arms. I watched from the cave mouth as he whipped his head around, trying to find something. We didn’t have time for whatever he was doing, we had to get the arrow out of Paula and get into the castle. I stepped out of the cave.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
He knit his eyebrows together. “Where did you come from?”
I rolled my eyes. “Are you serious right now? We don’t have time for this crap!”
I grabbed his arm and pulled him into the tunnel. He protested until we were well within the cave opening. I could tell he wanted to question me, but exhaustion took over and he slumped to the ground with Paula in his arms. I helped him ease her down. The arrow hadn’t hit anything major. It had gone through the farthest edge of skin and fat—not that Paula had much padding to protect her insides.
“You’ve got to help me break the arrow so we can get it out.”
Lonzo looked sick at the thought. Some war hero he was. He knelt next to me as I propped Paula’s head up on my knees. I took hold of the arrowhead while he held the end. Paula moaned softly but didn’t wake.
“On the count of three we’re going to break this arrow; snap it away from her, I’ll do the same. Ready? One, two, three.”
The arrow snapped much easier than I thought it would and we were able to get both halves out without losing any splinters in the wound. I ripped off the bottom of my t-shirt and wrapped it around her waist to hold the wound closed.
“How did you get in the cave?” Lonzo asked.
“Same way you did, I walked in.”
“But, how did you know where to find it?”
I didn’t understand the question. “There was a big gaping hole in the stone. I walked in.”
He shook his head. “I saw no hole. I only saw a solid wall.”
I fondled the amulet around my neck. I hadn’t looked back the day we left, I had no idea if I’d have been able to see the cave opening. My only thought was that it must have had something to do with the Bloodstone. Maybe it was enchanted to only appear for the wearer or the current queen? Maybe that was why I’d never discovered it in all my adventures in and around the castle.
“Sounds like we have more mysteries to uncover in the future. For now, I think we need to rest.”
Lonzo agreed. “We’ll take it in shifts. You sleep first, I’ll stand guard.”
I wanted to argue, but my body didn’t. I leaned against the smooth cave wall and quickly fell asleep.
We found the remaining Gorum. We’d managed to reach the perimeter of the Western Wood without detection, but knew we were doomed for discovery when the first Gorum turned his ugly head. There was no way we would get past them without alerting the Outliers to our presence. The first to notice us let out a howl to alert his friends.
“Good thing we brought these,” Rafe said, lifting his sledgehammer to his shoulder.
I silently wished we could have brought the wrecking ball too, but we’d have to make do with what we had. We rushed forward, ready to fight. Using the same tactics we’d mastered on Earth, we quickly took down two of the lumbering imbeciles. Three more came bursting through the trees, followed by another four. I didn’t realize how many of them there were until we were surrounded. One of the brutes raised a humongous fist above his head, and I yelled for Philo and Gerrit to move.
It was too late; Philo shoved Gerrit out of the way just as the fist met the ground. Somehow, something had distracted the Gorum at the last second, so his blow wasn’t fatal. Gerrit and Rafe rushed to Philo’s side and helped him to his feet. As they pulled him away from the Gorum, I was able to discern the only injury he’d sustained was a severely mangled leg. Something had gotten the attention of the enemy. I only hoped it wasn’t more trouble for us.
“Need a hand, Taeren?” The voice behind me should have been long gone.
I turned quickly to address him. “Orin? What are you doing here? You were supposed to take them to their home!”
Orin, Sophronia, and the crowd of Sideon had converged on the clearing. As soon as the Gorum saw their masters they stopped what they were doing as though awaiting commands. They seemed to have two modes; destruction and obedience. Such a strange combination from a strange race.
“We said we’d help round up the remaining Gorum,” Sophronia said.
I shook my head at her. “Yes, you were supposed to do that on your way to the portal that would take them home. Why did you double back?”
“They wanted to help.” Orin gestured to the hooded figures around them.
I took a long look at our former enemies. “Thank you for your assistance. We need to get the Gorum to leave. Can you help us with that?”
The Sideon approached the Gorum. They appeared to be having a mental conversation, not that I pegged the Gorum as conversationalists. One of the Gorum appeared to be silently arguing with the hooded figures. I was startled by the touch of a bony hand on my arm. Images flooded my mind; the Gorum had no interest in leaving. They wanted to stay and keep terrorizing the people of Riona. The Sideon were trying to convince them to leave, but they seemed to
have developed backbones in the brief amount of time their masters were gone.
“If they’re going to stay, are they willing to help us in exchange for a place to live? Will they enter into a treaty swearing not to harm another Rionian soul so long as they live?” I demanded.
I was ready to attack if necessary. I knew my men and I could take the rest of them out, I just wasn’t ready to accept the casualties that would come along with that battle. I only had Rafe and Gerrit; Philo was in no condition to fight. I knew Orin and Sophronia would help, but neither was exactly prepared for battle. The Sideon would undoubtedly do their part, but they couldn’t exactly engage in a physical confrontation; that was the whole reason they brought the Gorum back to Riona in the first place.
